Pokemon HardGold: A Nuzlocke
by Shinjitsu No Hiro
Summary: Dave goes on a Pokemon journey. Lots of references to shows, games, etc., and lots of old people cutting other people off. ABANDONED. Unless I decide to restart it. But it's not likely.
1. Rules

1.) If a Pokemon faints, it is dead. It must be boxed.

2.) I must nickname every Pokemon. This creates a better relationship with them, and makes a more dramatic/emotional death.

3.) I CANNOT use any healing items. Pokemon Centers must be used frequently because of this.

4.) Shiny Pokemon are an exception. They cannot die, but if they faint, I cannot use them again.

5.) I CANNOT catch legendaries. They are too powerful.

6.) I CANNOT use the Master Ball. It must rot in my bag for all eternity.


	2. Prologue

_**WARNING: There is a high possibility of Pokemon appearing. Proceed with caution, and always bring a lawnmower.**_

* * *

_**Prologue**_

A man stands in a dark room. The only thing visible is him. He takes out a rolled up paper. It unrolls to the floor, and he clears his throat to begin talking.

"'Welcome to the world of Pokemon. In this land, you will find many different-' Oh, who am I kidding? Everyone's heard this speech before." He looks up, and the lights start to come on. He nods, and in the background, pictures of different people, places, and Pokemon appear in a slideshow. At the top of every picture, in the same place, it says, "Welcome to Johto!"


	3. Chapter One

_**CHAPTER 1**_

"Dave! Come downstairs! I have some stuff for you!" I open my eyes and force myself to get out of bed. What does Mum need to give me this early in the morning? I change my clothes and head downstairs. She's at the table waiting for me. "Dave, your Pokegear came in from the shop this morning. Do you remember how to use it?"

"Yeah. Is that all you needed?" I have a feeling she'll say no, but I stay and listen anyways.

"You just turn it on and select who you want to call, right? Oh, and Professor Elm told me he wanted to see you. You should head on over now." I nod and sigh, and make my way outside. It's really bright, and a Marill is about to knock me over. Wait... A Marill is about to what?!

"Marill, what did I tell you about knocking people over? Come on! We have to go," a familiar voice says. I sit up and recognize this Pokemon. It's Lyra's Marill. Lyra is making her way to us, a smile on her face. "Hi, Dave! What are doing up so early?"

"Mum told me Elm needed to see me. Any idea what he needs to see me for?" She thinks for a minute, and shakes her head.

"No. I don't know. You should go see him." She picks up her Marill and walks off. I get up and walk to Elm's lab. What could he need me for? As I reach for the doorknob, I see a red-haired boy staring inside the building. Who is he? I shrug it off and walk inside.

"Hey, uh... Professor Elm? There's a-"

"Dave! You're finally here! I wanted to ask you if you would help me with an experiment." He completely cuts my question off.

"Uh... Yeah, okay. There's a-" Again, he cuts me off.

"Great! I need you to walk around with a rare Pokemon for a while. Just pick one from that machine, okay?" His computer makes a chiming noise, and he goes and checks it. "Hmm... Okay... Yeah... Oh...?" He comes back. "Dave, my friend, Mr. Pokemon, says he found a rare Pokemon egg. I want you to bring your Pokemon there, get the egg for me, and bring it back. Can you do that?"

"Uh... Sure? When?"

"Now! Go pick a Pokemon and go!" He points toward the Pokeballs in the machine. I walk over to them and let them all out. One of them is blue. It looks like a baby crocodile, with red spikes on its back and tail. Sharp teeth make it look fierce.

"That's Totodile, the water-type." The next one is a dark blue, with a tan belly. It looks like a hedgehog, and fire is coming out of its back. It doesn't seem to have eyes.

"That one is the fire-type, Cyndaquil." The third and final one is adorable. It's green, with a leaf on its head. It has little bulbs around its neck.

"That's Chikorita. This one is grass-type. Which one do you want to have?" I think it over for a minute. Water-types are strong, but a lot of them are slow. Fire-types are hard to find in Johto, and are good fighters. But... That Chikorita is adorable. I know grass-types are really common in Johto, but this Chikorita is too cute to resist.

"I want that Chikorita." I point to it, and the other two are put back in their Pokeballs. "I'll name you Cilantro." The green Pokemon smiles and jumps up and down. It seems to like its name.

"Chikorita is a good choice. Great for beginners. Now, head on over to Mr. Pokemon's house. It's right near Cherrygrove City. Hard to miss." I nod and leave. I head home for a minute, to tell Mum I'm leaving.

As I open the door to my house, the smell of cookies hits me in the face. Mum is in the kitchen, taking a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.

"You... Made cookies?" Cilantro makes a little noise, and Mum looks over.

"Dave! That's what Professor Elm wanted you for? Oh, it's adorable!" She sets the cookies on the counter and rushes over. "What's it's name?"

"His name is Cilantro. I, uh... Elm wanted me to go to some guy named Mr. Pokemon's house to get something for him, because he's busy. It's part of some experiment. He said if I did, I could keep Cilantro." She frowns.

"Dave, that's pretty far. Wild Pokemon might attack you, and... That's dangerous. You could get hurt!" She puts some cookies in a bag and brings them over to me. "Here. Take these with you. They'll stay warm in this bag." I take the cookies and nod.

"Thanks, Mum. I'll be back soon." She nods and sits down. I leave the house and close the door, then look down at Cilantro. "Let's take as long as possible, Cilantro. I don't want to be stuck with her for the rest of my life." I laugh jokingly and set, off, the green Pokemon at my left. As we leave Newbark Town, I notice that Route 29 looks different somehow. Greener, and with fresher air, it seems.

"Cilantro, do you want to train a little, or wait until we find some Pokeballs?" The Chikorita shook the leaf on its head once. Then twice. "So you want to wait?" It nodded its head. "Okay. Wait it is."


	4. Chapter Two

_**CHAPTER 2**_

After a few minutes of walking west and avoiding Pokemon, we finally arrive in Cherrygrove City. I can tell this town is pretty boring. All that's here are flowers and the sea. I start to head toward the Pokemart, to see what they have there, when I'm interrupted by an old man.

"Excuse me! Are you a rookie trainer? Of course you are." I don't get to answer that myself? "I'll give you a tour of this town, okay? Follow me!" He runs off toward the Pokemon Center, then comes back. "Whoops! I forgot, you don't have any Running Shoes!" Running Shoes? I can run perfectly fine without them, though... "Here, I'll go a little slower." He runs slowly to the Pokemon Center this time, and I follow him.

"This is the-"

"This is the Pokemon Center, lad. Here, you can heal your Pokemon and store the rest in boxes on a PC." He runs to the Pokemart. I follow.

"Great. I needed to go here. Okay, I'll just go-"

"This here is the Pokemart. You can buy and sell stuff here." He head toward the ocean now. Once again, I follow him. How is this old man so fast?

"Here's the ocean. Here you can, well, catch water Pokemon and swim and stuff." Finally, he runs to some old house. "This is my house. Here, you can have these shoes. There still toasty!" They're what? "Ha ha, I got you! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. These ones are brand new."

"Okay. Thanks, I guess." He goes into his house, so I head on over to the Pokemart. I can't believe there's no Gym here. I would've challenged it. The door to the Pokemart opens, and I walk in.

"Oh! You must be from Pallet Town! Can you deliver this to-"

"Wrong game, lady. What do you have here?" She looks shocked, but she takes out a few things and sets them on the counter.

"We have some Potions, and some Antidotes, and some Paralyze Heals."

"Wait... No Pokeballs?" She shakes her head.

"We just ran out. A kid about your age with red hair just bought the last five. We'll be restocking tomorrow, though."

"Oh... Okay. Well, see ya." I leave the blue and white building and sigh. I can't wait until tomorrow to get Pokeballs. Professor Elm needs me to do this today.

"Let's go, Cilantro. We might as well get this over with." I look around for the next route. It's right next to the Pokemart. We start off, but then a familiar voice calls out.

"Young lad, wait! I forgot to give you this!" The old man from before is running toward us. He stops next to me, breathing heavily. He has some weird chip-like thing in his hand. "You have a Pokegear, right? Take this Map Card with you. It'll help you on your journey." He takes a deep breath and runs off. I put the Map Card into my Pokegear. It tells me where I am and what's around me, too. Mr. Pokemon's house is up ahead, it seems. But... There are two houses on this Route. Which one is his? I guess I'll just have to check both.

The first house has an Apricorn tree next to it. Looking through the window, I see that a man lives here. Is that Mr. Pokemon? I knock on the door and wait. The man comes to the door and opens it.

"'Ello 'ere, chap. Wot brings you 'ere today?"

"I, uh... Are you-"

"Misser Pok'mon? No, sorry. 'E lives up that-away some. But, since you came 'ere today, Oi'll give you this 'ere Apricorn Case, wot'you say?" He goes inside for a minute, and comes back with an odd-looking box-like case.

"Uh... Sure, thanks." He nods and goes back inside, and shuts the door behind him. "He sure was odd, right Cilantro? Let's check this next house up here. The Map says there's some tall grass up ahead, too. Let's be careful."

The next house also has an Apricorn tree near it. But this one is pink, not green. How many different colored Apricorns are there?


	5. Chapter Three

_**CHAPTER 3**_

The house next to the pink Apricorn tree was much bigger and fancier than the first house. It has a big sign on the side that read, "Mr. Pokemon's House".

"Oh. It says right there that this is his house. I wonder what he has that Elm needs." I walk to the door and knock. It sounds like two people are talking to each other. I knock again, but louder. This time, they stop talking. The door opens. I look up, shocked at who I see. "You... You're..."

"Please, call me Sam. Elm sent you, did he? Come on in." The man guides me in and I sit down. A second man walks over with an egg in his hands. It's white, with red and blue triangles on it.

"Hello Dave. Professor Elm sent me an e-mail saying that you were on your way. Are you surprised to see Professor Oak here? He's visiting for now. He'll be going back to Goldenrod for his talk show soon. Now, about this egg. I need you to bring it back to Professor Elm for me. I believe this kind of egg isn't found anywhere in Johto. Can you bring it back to him for me?" As I open my mouth to say yes, Oak cuts me off. Why do old people like cutting me off so much?

"Now, Mitch. Don't send him off so soon. I wanted to give him something." Oh Arceus... What is he giving me? "Dave, I want you to have this. It's the newest version of the Pokedex. It can record information on any Pokemon you see. The thing is, I'm too old to be battling and catching Pokemon now. I want you to do this for me. In order to get complete info on each Pokemon, you have to catch them." He hands me a flat, red machine-like thing.

"That's it? It's tiny!"

"It's pocket-sized." His pocket makes a noise, and he pulls a phone out. "What's that? Oh! Okay. I'll be there in a minute." He puts the phone back in his pocket, and leaves. "I have to go back to Goldenrod now. Sorry!" Mr. Pokemon waves and turns to me.

"You can go now, too. Remember to give that egg to Professor Elm!" I head outside. It's not as bright as before. I check the time on my Pokegear. It's almost noon, and by time I get home, it will probably be night-time already.

"Cilantro, we need to hurry. I don't know what's out here at night." I open the phone section of my Pokegear and select Mum. The phone rings for a few seconds, and she picks up.

"Dave! Are you okay? It's almost noon! Where are you?"

"I just left Mr. Pokemon's house. I might not be back until later tonight." I hear a ringing noise. Someone else is calling me. "Hey, someone else is calling me. I gotta go." I hang up and answer the other line. "Hello?"

"Dave! Thank Arceus you answered! Something came up! I need you to come back right away!" He hangs up before I can answer.

"Cilantro, Elm needs help. We have to hurry."

After running all the way to Cherrygrove, I have to slow down. Just as I step outside the town, someone knocks me over.

"Hey, watch it kid!" Who is this kid? He has bright red hair and gray eyes. Wait a second... This kid is the one that was staring into the lab this morning! He looks pretty angry at me. "If you won't get out of my, I'll have to show you how weak that Pokemon you have is. I challenge you to a battle."

"Alright. Fine. Cilantro, show this kid how strong you are."

After a few minutes of battling, I finally defeat this kid's Cyndaquil.

"You... That's still a weak Pokemon. How does a wimp like you get something so stupid?" He runs off, disregarding the fact that he dropped his Trainer Card.

"So... His name is Dirk?" He comes back and snatches the card out of my hand.

"You... You saw my name!" He runs back off, panting.

"Well, that was weird. But you learned Razor Leaf during all of that. Good job. Let's bring you to the Pokemon Center before we go home. You got pretty hurt in that battle."

As we walk to the Pokemon Center, I take out my Pokegear and call Elm. He doesn't pick up, so I leave him a message.

"Hey, uh... Elm? It's Dave. I needed to bring Cilantro to the Pokemon Center, so... I'll bring you this egg tomorrow. Okay. Bye." I call Mum, too. She doesn't pick up, either. "Hey, Mum. We were challenged by someone, and I had to take Cilantro to the Pokemon Center. I'll be home tomorrow. Bye."


	6. Chapter Four

_**CHAPTER 4**_

The next morning, I see that I have two missed calls from Mum and Elm. They had both said that it was okay, and to hurry home as soon as I could. Cilantro had been healed up around midnight, while I was still asleep. Now he was curled up next to me, still sleeping. I could tell this Pokemon trusted me, and that it wanted to stay with me. And it would.

Checking the clock on the table next to me, I saw that it was almost eight. I got out of bed slowly and carefully, so as to not wake Cilantro up. I got the bag of cookies from yesterday out. I hadn't eaten any of them, and the Pokemon Center provided free food to anyone that stayed overnight. I didn't want to leave Cilantro here alone, so I put a cookie next to him. I split one of them in half and put it back in the bag for later. I wasn't very hungry, but I had to eat something, so I ate the third cookie. It wasn't warm anymore, but it was still good.

I waited for about an hour for Cilantro to wake up. After eating his cookie, he was ready to go, so we left. It was around the same time I had woken up yesterday, so it was bright outside. I hadn't turned the light on in the room we had stayed in, and outside there was a big difference in lighting.

The walk home was uneventful, save for a few training battles. Now that we were back in New Bark Town, I headed to Elm's Lab. I walked in and Professor Elm looked over at me. There was a police officer there, too.

"You must be the one that took that Pokemon, aren't you?"

"What? No! I-" The door opened behind me, and Lyra ran in.

"Sir! He didn't steal that Chikorita! He wouldn't do something like that!"

"I see..." The officer thought for a moment, then began talking again. "Did you see anyone suspicious last night, kid?"

"I, uh... I did battle this kid that ran into me last night. He had a Cyndaquil with him."

"Dave, that's the Pokemon that was stolen! Did you happen to get his name?"

"Yes, did you get his name, kid?"

"Uh... His Trainer Card said his name was Dirk. He dropped it when he ran off, then came back and took it from me. He had red hair and gray eyes." This was crazy. First I'm accused on stealing Cilantro, and the next thing I know, I'm being interrogated? What's going on?

"I see... Well, thanks for the info, kid. I'll be going now." Lyra moved out of the way as he left.

"Well, that was scary! Dave, you almost got arrested!"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks for the info Lyra. I never would've known."

"You're welcome!" She smiles and leaves the lab. Now I'm alone with Elm.

"Dave, did you get that egg from Mr. Pokemon? Is it okay?" I take the egg out of my bag and hand it to him. He takes a step back. "This... This kind of egg isn't found anywhere in Johto! Wow! Thanks, Dave!" He puts the egg in an expensive-looking case and walks back over to me. "Alright, as I promised, Dave, you can keep that Chikorita. It looks really attached to you. I don't think it would let me take it back if I had to!"


	7. Chapter Five

_**CHAPTER 5**_

"Thanks, Elm. Hey, uh... Do you know where the nearest Gym is?"

"Dave, you're perfectly fine. You don't need to go to a Gym!" What is he talking about?

"I meant a Pokemon Gym. To earn badges from. I want to try to be the Champion."

"Oh! Sorry. The nearest Pokemon Gym is in... Violet City. It's to the northwest of Mr. Pokemon's house. Don't forget to train your Chikorita on the way there. Bye!" I leave the building. Lyra is right outside, and she seems to be waiting for me.

"Dave! Hi! I want to show you how to catch a Pokemon. Follow me!" She grabs my wrist and drags me outside of Newbark. "First you have to go into the grass, like this! You wait for a Pokemon to show up, and you send out your own Pokemon." A Rattata comes out from behind a tree, and her Marill attacks it. "You weaken the Pokemon by battling it, and then throw a Pokeball. It's best to get their HP down into the red first." HP? The red? Is this some kind of RPG or something? She releases the Rattata, and turns around to face me. "Here. You can have these." She hands me five Pokeballs.

"Wait... Only five?"

"You can buy more at the Cherrygrove Pokemart, I think." She walks off, without even saying good-bye.

"Cilantro, what do you think? Should we get some more Pokemon friends?" He nods, and we head to Route 46 to try and get something good. "Remember, we need Pokemon that are good against whatever the Violet City Gym's Pokemon are. I think it's a flying-type Gym, so I might not be able to use you in it. If I'm correct, there are Geodude on this Route. If we catch one, we can train it and have it defeat the Violet Gym."

The first Pokemon we encounter is a Rattata. I don't plan on catching one, so I just have Cilantro defeat it. The second one is a Spearow. They're pretty good, but I still don't want one. I'd be better off finding a Pidgey on the next Route. Just as I'm about to give up, I trip on a big, gray rock. I land face-first on the ground. Getting up, I notice something. This rock has arm-like things coming out of the sides.

"Cilantro, come here. Aim a Razor Leaf at that rock. The one with the, uh, arms." Cilantro did as I told him. I picked him up and backed up a few steps as the rock started to shake. It slowly rose out of the ground and made an odd noise, then turned around to face us. Cilantro jumps out of my arms.

"Hey, wait! I never told you to-" Without even hearing a command, Cilantro began to spam Razor Leaf. When the Geodude looked weak enough, he stopped attacking it. I pulled out a Pokeball and threw it at the Geodude. I waited one... Two... Three seconds for the ball to click. So be it... I just caught my first Pokemon! The thought kept racing through my head. Maybe it would be with me until I went to challenge the Elite Four. Maybe it would help me become the Champion! No. I tell myself to stop thinking like that. For now, I just have to worry about getting to Violet City before dark. I also had to catch a Pidgey and a Mareep. I had heard rumors of Gastly somewhere in Violet, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.

My third Pokemon was a Pidgey named Faygo. I hadn't really thought of a name for my Geodude, so for now I'll call him Rocky. It suits him well.

Looking up at the sky, I see that us three made good time. It's no where near dark yet, meaning we can train for another hour or so, or explore the city. I had already healed my Pokemon up twice in Violet, and I knew where the Gym was already. There was even a kid in Violet who would give me an Onix if I gave him a Bellsprout.

I had been looking for one for a while, and I had started to think that maybe he gave me the wrong Route. All I had encountered were Pidgey and Rattata, and a Trainer. I had even found a Pokeball just lying on the ground, empty. As I was about to leave to go to the Route south of Violet, I heard a loud screech. Or... Something like that. I decided that whatever it was, it would have to get though Rocky before it got to me. I heard the screech again.

"Rocky, get ready. I don't know what that is." Again, I hear a screech. Than, I see something yellow come out from the grass. It's a Bellsprout! "Rocky, be careful. This thing is a grass-type. It could do serious damage to you. But you know what to do." The battle started off good. Near the end, it got harder.

"Rocky, come back. This thing is too strong for you to battle." But he refused. "Rocky. Come back." Still nothing, and I could tell this was it. A few more Vine Whips from this Bellsprout, and I would be back to two members on my team. "Rocky, come back. Please. I don't want you to leave us. Come back before you have to." But he still refused. I didn't know what to do, or why he wouldn't come back. All I knew was that this Bellsprout was going to die. It was because of some stupid Onix that Rocky was about to die. The stupid Onix, whom I could never trade a Bellsprout for after I remembered its name. Rocky.

Something wet and cold ran down my face as I witnessed my first Pokemon leave us. I knew what it was, but I refused to believe that I was crying. I couldn't help it, though. This Pokemon had been my ticket to victory, and I had lost him. I should've just called him back to his Pokeball. But I was too stupid to do just that.

I had Faygo defeat the Bellsprout. After that was done, he had a nice salad for dinner. None of us wanted to see that Bellsprout ever again, and for some reason, I had a vegetarian Pidgey. Odd.

I dug a hole about twice the size of Rocky, and we buried him. I had Cilantro use Razor Leaf to cut some bark off a tree nearby, and I had Faygo use his beak to carve words into the bark.

_**Here Lies Rocky**_

_**The Best Geodude**_

_**You will be missed...**_


	8. Chapter Six

_**CHAPTER 6**_

The next morning, when we leave the Pokemon Center, I notice that the sky is still dark. It couldn't still be nighttime, though. My clock had said that it was almost noon. Maybe it would rain?

I head over to Route 31 again to train. I had decided that as long as it would help me defeat Falkner, I would trade a Bellsprout to get the Onix. I had caught one last night, but I wanted to train Cilantro a little more.

After a while, I decided that we were ready to go get a Mareep. But first, I needed to get rid of this Bellsprout. I entered the house of the boy who wanted the Bellsprout. The Onix's Pokeball was on the table, the Onix in it already. I picked it up and put the Pokeball with the Bellsprout down. I then left to get a Mareep from Route 32.

It had started to rain a little as I made my way across the city. I could see some Pokemon playing in the rain. I looked around for a bit, and finally I found a Mareep. The rain was making its wool shine and spark, and instantly I knew what I would name her.

"Cilantro, you wanna battle it? Faygo would be defeated instantly." Cilantro made a happy noise and shook his leaf around a little. He walked over to the Mareep and poked it, shocking himself. The Mareep laughed and ran in circles. While it was distracted, I got out a Great Ball I had found. I waited a second, then threw it. It shook once. It shook twice. It shook a third time, and made a clicking noise. I walked over and let the Mareep out of its Pokeball.

"Hi there. I'm Dave, your new Trainer. This is Cilantro." I sent out Faygo, and instantly he hid behind me. "This is Faygo. I don't think he likes electricity." The Mareep mad a noise and stepped a little closer. Faygo clicked the button on his Pokeball, and he was transported back into it. "Let's give him a little time. What do you think about the name Popcorn?" The Mareep wagged its tail and made another noise. "Popcorn it is. Let's train you a little. Do you know any electric moves yet?" Popcorn shook her head. "No? Alright. We need to have you learn one. Let's go." Cilantro and Popcorn followed me into the grass. Most of the Pokemon we found were Rattata, Zubat, and Hoppip. We found a few Bellsprout, but we got rid of them easily. Popcorn refused to battle other Mareep, so I had to have Cilantro battle them.

It was almost seven by time we finished training. The five of us were about to head to the Gym, when I heard someone say something about a ghost.

"Uh... Did you say something about a ghost?" My question was directed toward a middle-aged woman.

"Ghost-types. The Gastly are starting to come out again. They come out every night in Sprout Tower." Really? Maybe I could catch one.

"Oh. Okay, thanks." I headed to the Pokemon Center to have my four Pokemon healed.

When I left the Pokemon Center, it was almost eight. I headed to the Sprout Tower at the back of the city. Maybe I would get lucky and catch a Gastly. It would bring me up to five Pokemon.

As I opened the door to Sprout Tower, a chill went down my spine. First off, it was colder than it should've been. And the fact that the beam in the middle was making odd noises didn't help, either. There was a girl standing in front of the pillar.

"See the pillar shaking? People are training upstairs." She seemed perfectly fine with the shaking pillar. An old lady was standing near her.

"Hey, uh... Is this pillar supposed to be shaking?"

"Yes. A Bellsprout, over one hundred feet tall... People say that it became the middle pillar here."

"Oh, um... Okay." Some other old people were here, too. I didn't feel like talking to them, though. "Hey, Cilantro, do you mind if I train Popcorn some more?" Cilantro shook his head, and I sent him back into his Pokeball. Popcorn came out of hers. "Popcorn, I want to train you some more, okay?" She nodded, and followed me up the ladder to the next floor.

Immediately, I noticed another old man. I didn't feel like battling him, though. I had heard earlier that the people in Sprout Tower battled with Bellsprout. Seeing as how I hated Bellsprout, I didn't want to battle any. All I wanted to do was catch a Gastly, and maybe have Popcorn evolve.

Just then, my Pokegear started to ring. I took it out of my pocket and answered it. "Hello? This is Dave."

"Oh, hello, Dave! So, how's your Pokedex coming along?"

"I, uh..."

"Hmm, let's see... You've seen ten Pokemon, and you've caught four Pokemon! I see! Good. I see you understand how to use Pokeballs. Show me your Pokedex again anytime!" He hung up before I could answer him. How does he know how many Pokemon I have? Stalker...

Popcorn made a noise, and I looked over to where she was facing. "It's... Just a Rattata, Popcorn. But... If you want to battle it... Then go ahead."

Popcorn took off toward the Rattata. Both of them Tackled each until Popcorn knocked out the purple rat.

"Good job. Now let's go. We need to find a Gastly." I started walking, but I heard no footsteps behind me. I turned around. "Popcorn, let's go." Her coat looked like it was a bright white instead of a creamy yellow. Or was it because of the lighting in the tower? Popcorn made a noise, and the rest of her body started to turn white as well. "Popcorn? What are you doing? This is no time for electric attacks."

Popcorn's shape was distorted now. What was happening? She became taller, her tail longer. "Are you... Are you evolving?" Slowly, Popcorn stopped glowing. I was surprised by her appearance.

The new Pokemon was pink and white in color. It was taller, and had less wool. It stood on two legs instead of four. It even had a different name now.

"You're a Flaaffy now!" I quickly scanned it into my Pokedex, then took out Cilantro's Pokeball and let him out. "Cilantro, look who evolved," I teased. I had caught on real early. Even Pokemon had feelings for each other.


	9. Chapter Seven

_**CHAPTER 7**_

As I made my way up the tower, I gained some experience by battling the old people. There weren't very many people here after all. I hadn't found a Gastly yet. I had had Faygo out with me now, as these Trainers all had Bellsprout.

By time I got to the top, I was exhausted. The tower was higher than I thought. I still hadn't found a single Gastly. But as I battled the last Trainer in the room, I noticed something.

There was something red floating behind the pillar. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew it wasn't a Pokemon. I hadn't heard of any red Ghost-types before. Maybe it was the last Trainer. I wasn't sure. I finished up my battle with the Trainer I was fighting, then made my way around the pillar. There was an Escape Rope in the corner of the room. I put it in my bag and turned around - and I froze.

The floating red thing wasn't a Pokemon. It was Dirk, the kid I had run into back in Cherrygrove. What was he doing here? He sounded like he was yelling at the old man at the end of the room. I ran over and shoved him out of the way.

"What are you doing here?" His question stung, but I quickly regained myself.

"I came here to get a Gastly and train a little bit. You?" He was frowning at me, obviously mad that I knocked him over.

"I was teaching this guy that I doesn't matter how you train your Pokemon." He got up and brushed off; his pants had dust all over them now. "That is, until you knocked me over." The old man took his turn to speak, content with cutting Dirk's explanation off.

"This young man was telling himself lies. He was telling me what he just said." Now it was my turn to cut him off.

"But it does matter. A Pokemon will perform badly if it doesn't like its Trainer or how it's trained. Look at my Pokemon, for example." I sent out Cilantro and Popcorn to accompany Faygo. "They all look happy, no?" Dirk refused to answer me. "Don't they?" I repeated.

"It doesn't matter. I'm leaving." He turned around and left. Something in his expression told me he was sad. But I couldn't figure out why. The old man walked up to me.

"That was a great thing you just did, you know that?" I felt special for a few seconds after he said that. But then he continued. "So, how about a battle with me? I heard Falkner won't be back for a while. Battle me and maybe he'll come back."

"Wait... What? In order to battle Falkner, I have to beat you? How many Pokemon do you have? My Pokemon can't battle much more. They're all weak from climbing and battling." He handed me a few Potions.

"Use these." I pushed his hand away.

"No way. That would be breaking the rules. I can't." He sighed.

"You're one of those trainers, eh? Alright. I'll let you off this time. But remember, you have to beat me in order to get to Falkner."


End file.
